Bosomy madonnas dominate dream-inspired art (September 21, 2005)

Funny money: Two men puzzle over one of Long's artworks, featuring writings on the other side of the coin.

Dreams are said to reflect what people have experienced and what they desire. Artist Nguyen Thanh Long recently displayed his dreams in an oil painting exhibition titled Endless at the Vietnam Fine Arts Exhibition.

The image which has returned again and again in Long's mind is the female figure with a naked breast. The woman has a Madonna face and many pairs of nipples full of milk. Long features a dozen of paintings of this same figure with only minor differences between them.

"The woman with a powerful female breast is my ideal image, which is similar to the image of [Vietnamese legendary] Mother Au Co or the female Buddha with thousands of eyes and hands to look over the earth to take care of needy people," said Long.

Men in Long's pictures often appear smaller and more humble in front of these powerful women.

"I draw these paintings while first falling in love and in them I am describing my own feelings in front of my beloved," he said.

Another focus of his exhibition are portraits of men. They are not typical men. They bear wrinkles of hardship and there is an over-whelming sense of sorrow in their faces.

"I did not title any of my picture because I don't want to limit the audience's imagination," Long said, "I hope my vision blend with that of the audience to make my artwork more varied."

He said it seems like fate compelled him to draw these images.

Born in Hai Duong and graduated from Hanoi College of Fine Arts, Long has participated in the National Fine Arts Exhibition in 2000 and Contemporary Arts of Vietnam in Georgia, US.